Share of women who are married or in a union in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Share of women who are married or in a union was 13.9% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Share of women who are married or in a union in Sierra Leone, 1970–2019
Source: United Nations (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, share of women who are married or in a union in Sierra Leone stood at 13.9%. That is the lowest value across all 50 years on record.
That represents a change of down 9.4% on the previous year and down 51.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are married or in a union in Sierra Leone peaked at 58.2% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 13.9%, in 2019.
That places Sierra Leone 47th out of 221 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 50 years of available data.
Share of women who are married or in a union in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 58.2% | — |
| 1971 | 58.2% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 58.2% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 58.2% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 58.2% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 58.2% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 58.2% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 58.2% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 58.2% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 58.2% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 58.2% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 58.2% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 58.2% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 58.2% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 58.2% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 58.2% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 57.0% | -2.1% |
| 1987 | 55.8% | -2.2% |
| 1988 | 54.5% | -2.2% |
| 1989 | 53.3% | -2.3% |
| 1990 | 52.1% | -2.3% |
| 1991 | 50.8% | -2.4% |
| 1992 | 49.6% | -2.4% |
| 1993 | 48.4% | -2.5% |
| 1994 | 47.1% | -2.5% |
| 1995 | 45.9% | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 44.7% | -2.7% |
| 1997 | 43.4% | -2.8% |
| 1998 | 42.2% | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 41.0% | -2.9% |
| 2000 | 39.8% | -3.0% |
| 2001 | 38.5% | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 37.3% | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 36.1% | -3.3% |
| 2004 | 34.8% | -3.4% |
| 2005 | 33.6% | -3.5% |
| 2006 | 32.4% | -3.7% |
| 2007 | 31.1% | -3.8% |
| 2008 | 29.9% | -4.0% |
| 2009 | 28.4% | -4.9% |
| 2010 | 27.0% | -5.1% |
| 2011 | 25.5% | -5.4% |
| 2012 | 24.1% | -5.7% |
| 2013 | 22.6% | -6.0% |
| 2014 | 21.2% | -6.4% |
| 2015 | 19.7% | -6.9% |
| 2016 | 18.3% | -7.4% |
| 2017 | 16.8% | -7.9% |
| 2018 | 15.4% | -8.6% |
| 2019 | 13.9% | -9.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 58.2% | 58.2% | 58.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 57.0% | 53.3% | 58.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 46.5% | 41.0% | 52.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 34.2% | 28.4% | 39.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.5% | 13.9% | 27.0% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 44 Brazil 14.3% compare
- 45 Belize 14.1% compare
- 46 Côte d'Ivoire 14.1% compare
- 48 Colombia 13.7% compare
- 49 Papua New Guinea 13.7% compare
- 50 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 13.6% compare
More gender data for Sierra Leone
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 3,446 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.722 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 122,158 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 124,999 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 118,334 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 120,652 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 116,120 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 118,274 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 114,582 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 116,632 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women who are married or in a union in Sierra Leone?
- Share of women who are married or in a union in Sierra Leone was 13.9% in 2019, according to United Nations (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of women who are married or in a union recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 58.2% in 1970.
- What is the lowest share of women who are married or in a union recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.9% in 2019.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for share of women who are married or in a union?
- Sierra Leone ranks 47th out of 221 countries with data for 2019.
- Is share of women who are married or in a union rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 51.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of women who are married or in a union. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of women aged 15-19 sharing a household with their partner, whether married, cohabiting, in consensual partnerships, or in other non-marital unions.